You may be one of the two-thirds of the world population who does not meet the World Health Organization’s recommended eight hours of nightly sleep. And if you don’t sleep, you don’t dream. This article uses the acronym SLEEP to trick your mind into letting you fall asleep and stay asleep so you can heal, be well, and play.

According to the World Health Organization, there are severe health risks from losing sleep. When you don’t sleep, you can’t dream, and your dreams can save your life.

Dreams are the way your body speaks to you concerning your physical and mental health and allows you a safe-space for play-time in the adult world full of work with very little play. Work hard, play harder in the dream-realm of sleep.

But first, why is it so important to get the right amount of sleep? Does it really matter?

Sleep deprivation increases the risk of cancer, memory loss, depression, anxiety, obesity, and heart failure. In a book written by co-authors Dr. Larry Burk and Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos based on Dr. Burk’s Breast Cancer Dream Research, dreams diagnosed cancer, other diseases and even heart attacks that were later validated by medical pathology reports.

Without sleep, these diagnostic and precognitive dreams could not have saved lives.

According to research done at University of California Berkley by neurologist Matthew Walker, driving while under the influence of fatigue DUF, is more dangerous than a DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.)

Further research shows that lack of sleep can affect male and female fertility.

Why is it so hard to fall asleep? Perhaps because we have become such a world-community of schedules, we have forgotten how to fall asleep without one. And, we may have worry-on-the-mind.

Use the acronym SLEEP to fall asleep quickly, easily and stay asleep all night.

Schedule Sleep- use Back-to-the-Future memory to train or retrain yourself to go to sleep at a certain time just as we did as a child to eat and sleep. Make going to sleep a scheduled time management habit that is part of your adult job.

Learn to plan for the next day an hour before bedtime. Some of us may remember how our clothes were laid out for the next school day, and our books were placed by the door to give us peace of mind. Worry destroys sleep.

Environment- Darkness and coolness induce Make your bedroom environment dark and cool. We live in an age of lights, beeps, buzzes, and electronics that heat up and illuminate our rooms. Even a cell phone beside your bed can light up with a message during the night and disrupt sleep. Our phone is an alarm clock, but turning it facedown may reduce sleep interruption. Cover blue lights on electronics, or if possible, turn them off at night to reduce heat by a few degrees for a better sleep environment.

Erase bad sleep habits- Falling asleep with the TV on, arguing before bed, suddenly remembering you forgot to do something and getting out of bed to take care of it, are all habits that can disturb your sleep. If necessary, make a list of things that must be done before bed to help break the cycle. Put a checklist beside your bed to help.

Pee Pee? Do not drink before bed! You will reduce your need to urinate. And, that brings us back to #1s Back-to-the-Future. Remember when you were told as a child not to drink anything two hours before bedtime? That rule still stands true as an adult.

In conclusion, an extra hour or two of sleep can improve health, relationships, and job performance leading to financial gain. And, getting that extra rest is as easy as following the acronym SLEEP written in this article. Let extra sleep be a game changer in your life.

About the Author: Kathleen (Kat) O’Keefe-Kanavos is a VIDEO Podcaster, a three-time Breast Cancer Survivor, seen on Dr. Oz, DOCTORS, NBC, & CBS. Her Divine Dreams diagnose her illness. Kat was a Research Participant for Duke University’s Dr. Larry Burk‘s Breast Cancer Dream Research Program. They co-wrote, Dreams That Can Save Your Life. She is a Syndicated Columnist, TV Producer/Host and award-winning Author/Lecturer who promotes patient advocacy and connecting with Divine Spiritual-guidance through Dreams. “Don’t tell God how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big your God is.” Learn more @ www.KathleenOKeefeKanavos.com